Rather than engage in outright histrionics, the author makes sensible points backed up by historical facts. However I think the author ignores that idea that sensible design alternatives exist to a lot of the perceived gridlock. We're a country of designers who find elegant solutions to problems. The perceived entrenched powers that doom us can be unravelled with sensible fixes. Our prison system can be reformed by sensible legalization/de-regulation coupled with how we prosecute crimes and fund prisons, no need for a revolution there. Regulation of rogue energy and financial institutions can be strengthened, we can make sure our regulators don't become enablers and we reform what we regulate to not strangle innovation, no need for a revolution there. Every day viable alternatives pop up to our toxic media, and Jon Stewart proved you can de-legitimize an entire network, not with violence, but with a sustained nightly attack of satire, no need for a revolution there.

In truth, this article engages in a sort of fallacy, we're only doomed if we think doom is the only outcome that's possible. There's another version of this article that could happen called "American democracy can be fixed with sensible design".